Academic detailing has been studied for over 25 years[2] and has been shown to be effective at improving prescribing of targeted medications about 5% from baseline.[3] Though it is primarily used to affect prescribing, it is also used to educate providers regarding other non-drug interventions, such as screening guidelines.

Many academic detailing programs exist around the world. In the United States, university-based state programs exist in Vermont,[4] Oregon[5] and South Carolina.[6] The nonprofit organization Alosa Health[7] runs an academic detailing program in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Washington, DC called the Independent Drug Information Service (IDIS). The National Resource Center for Academic Detailing (NaRCAD), funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in 2010, was created to help organizations with limited resources to establish and improve their own programs and to create a network of academic detailing programs. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Pharmacy Benefits Management pilot tested the National Academic Detailing Service in 2010 to enhance veterans' outcomes by empowering clinicians and promoting the use of evidence-based treatments using delivered by clinical pharmacy specialists.[8] After the pilot, in March 2015, the Interim Under Secretary for Health issued a memorandum requiring implementation of AD programs throughout the Veterans Health Administration.[9]